Roxana — Chapter 45

IT SURELY CAN'T BE OUT OF PRIDE.

ARE YOU TERRIFIED BECAUSE YOU KNOW YOU WON'T GET A PEACEFUL DEATH AFTER ALL THE TORTURING YOU'VE DONE?

I STABBED MY HEART... YET THERE ISN'T A SINGLE WOUND. HOW CAN THIS BE...?

JUST HOW MUCH OF THIS WAS A DREAM?

NO WAY... NO, THAT CAN'T BE.

TSK, YOU WOULDN'T LISTEN...

YOU CERTAINLY REQUIRE A LOT OF LOOKING AFTER.

IT'S NOT AN ILLUSION.

WASN'T THE POWER THE PEDELIANS POSSESS JUST SOMETHING LIKE PURIFICATION?

IS IT REALLY NOT JUST A TITLE THAT COWARDS THREW AROUND AS THEY PLEASED?

THE REASON THEY'VE BEEN CALLED JUDGES SINCE THE OLDER GENERATIONS...

IF THAT REASON IS BECAUSE THEY POSSESS THE POWER TO DECIDE LIFE AND DEATH,

THEN IS IT REALLY POSSIBLE FOR THIS PUP OF THE BLUE

TO BRING A DEAD PERSON BACK TO LIFE?

IT SEEMS YOU STILL HAVEN'T GRASPED THE SITUATION,

BUT YOU'D BETTER NOT TRY TAKING YOUR OWN LIFE AGAIN.

I CAN REVIVE YOU AS MANY TIMES AS IT TAKES.

WHICH ALSO MEANS I CAN KILL YOU AS MANY TIMES AS IT TAKES.

DO YOU REGRET YOUR PAST ACTIONS NOW THAT IT'S COME TO THIS?

THOUGH IT SEEMS YOU DON'T EVEN KNOW WHAT YOU SHOULD BE REGRETTING.

IF YOU CANNOT REFLECT UPON THE SINS YOU HAVE COMMITTED ALL BY YOURSELF,

I WILL TEACH THEM TO YOU ONE BY ONE UNTIL MORNING COMES.

BE GRATEFUL THAT DAWN IS STILL SOME TIME AWAY.

LANTE AGRECE,

I AM TAKING YOUR LIFE NOW.

EVERYONE, RETREAT.

TO THINK SHE COULD PULL SOMETHING LIKE THIS OFF WITH JUST POISON BUTTERFLIES...

TRULY AMAZING, ISN'T IT? IT'S IDENTICAL TO THE REAL HALLUCINATION ROOM.

THAT ASIDE, DID SHE DELIBERATELY SEPARATE EVERYONE?

To keep us from killing each other? Honestly, older sister.

HEY, HEY.

MOVE, I CAN’T SEE...

SISTER!

WHAT...

WHAT ON EARTH IS GOING ON HERE?!

THIS WAS MADE BY YOU, RIGHT?

THEN,

DID YOU BRING THE PEDELIAN BASTARDS HERE TOO?

I WASN'T TOLD A THING... ABOUT INTRUDERS OR ANYTHING ELSE.

I WASN'T EVEN TOLD THAT YOU POSSESSED HALLUCINATION ABILITIES...

WHY KEEP THINGS HIDDEN EVEN FROM ME?

IF YOU WANT IT. ROXANA, THE HOUNDS OF THE BLUE CAN COME, OR THIS PLACE CAN BURN TO THE GROUND. NONE OF THAT MATTERS.

THE FACT THAT YOU KEEP SO MANY THINGS FROM ME, THAT DOESN'T MATTER EITHER.

SO...

YOU'RE ALRIGHT, AREN'T YOU, SISTER? JUST TELL ME THAT MUCH.

YOU NEED ME TOO, DON'T YOU? I'LL GIVE YOU MY BLOOD.

PLEASE.

COME HERE.

GOOD WORK. YOU WON'T HAVE TO DISGUISE YOURSELF AS SLAUGHTER BUTTERFLIES ANYMORE.

KEUGH!

BLOOD...

THE CLOAK JEREMY GAVE ME IS RUINED.

THE MOMENT I SUMMONED THE HALLUCINATION BUTTERFLIES, I ALREADY KNEW.

IT WAS SOMETHING I HAD A PREMONITION OF THE MOMENT I LET THE MISSION WITH DEON FAIL.

WHAT BECAME UNCONTROLLABLE WASN'T JUST

THE SLAUGHTER BUTTERFLIES THAT HAD TASTED HUMAN FLESH.

THE BLOOD I'VE ALREADY VOMITED UP SEVERAL TIMES TODAY ALONE.

THE CONTINUOUS INGESTION OF POISON AND HALLUCINOGENS UP UNTIL NOW.

JUST POURING BAIT-LIKE BLOOD INTO A ROTTING, BATTERED BODY...

HOW UTTERLY LUDICROUS AN END.

THAT IS WHY I MUST WATCH THIS MOMENT THROUGH TO THE VERY END.

FOR THIS VERY DAY,

I'VE HELD ON SO THAT HE COULD FACE JUDGMENT IN THIS WORLD.

COULD HE REALLY BE DEAD?

IS IT FINALLY OVER?

IS IT TRULY, COMPLETELY OVER?

SISTER XANA...!

SISTER! WERE YOU HERE? YOU'RE NOT HURT, ARE YOU?

...WHERE ARE YOU GOING, SISTER?

STOP.

BUT THERE SHOULDN'T BE ANYTHING THAT WAY...

Don't Speak.

SISTER, WHY ARE YOU LOOKING AT ME LIKE THAT?

DON'T SPEAK. I TOLD YOU TO STOP.

AS IF THIS IS THE VERY LAST TIME...

YOU FOOL. I TOLD YOU NOT TO DO IT.

NO, THAT CAN'T BE. RIGHT?

THINK CAREFULLY.

EXACTLY. HOW MUCH DOES SISTER XANA CHERISH ME?

DOESN’T SISTER LIKE ME?

HAVE I JUST NOT BEEN LISTENING TO HER LATELY?

THAT’S THE TRUTH.

COME TO THINK OF IT, THERE ARE A LOT OF THINGS I DID WRONG.

I WASN’T PERFECT.

STILL, SISTER HAS ALWAYS FORGIVEN ME.

IT’S FINE.

REALLY

YOU EVEN REACHED OUT AND TOOK MY HAND FIRST, DIDN’T YOU?

IT’S NOT A LIE, BUT THE TRUTH.

SISTER.

ARE YOU GOING TO THROW ME AWAY, TOO?

YOU ALREADY KNEW I WAS OF NO USE TO YOU,

SISTER XANA.

I SHOULDN’T HAVE REACHED MY HAND OUT TO YOU BACK THEN.

IN THE BEGINNING, I ONLY INTENDED TO USE YOU,

BUT WHEN WAS IT THAT I COULDN’T DO THAT ANYMORE?

NOT EVERY MOMENT WE SHARED TOGETHER WAS TRUTHFUL,

BUT NEITHER WERE THEY LIES.

I SHOULDN’T HAVE KEPT YOU BY MY SIDE.

EVEN IN THIS PARCHED PLACE, A SWEET RAIN OCCASIONALLY FALLS,

WHICH IS WHY I ENDED UP GROWING ATTACHED.

MOTHER, ACHILLE, AND YOU. MY ONLY FAMILY.

I WON’T TAKE ANYTHING FROM AGRECE.

SO THIS IS WHERE IT ENDS.

AND THAT IS WHY I CANNOT GO WITH YOU, JEREMY.

GOODBYE.

SISTER...!

I KNOW THAT YOU'VE NEVER ONCE SMILED SINCERELY THIS ENTIRE TIME.

IF...

IF I MAKE AGRECE A PLACE WHERE YOU CAN ACTUALLY SMILE,

WILL YOU COME BACK?

MY POOR YOUNGER BROTHER,

I COULDN'T ANSWER BECAUSE I COULDN'T MAKE A PROMISE.

I WANTED TO LEAVE THIS PLACE BOUND BY SO MANY THINGS.

TO LEAVE THIS SWAMP-LIKE HELL AND SIMPLY BE FREE.

WOULD MY FOOTSTEPS

AND MY HEART

GROW LIGHTER THEN?

AH...

BUT

EVEN IF I ESCAPE THE SWAMP, I SUPPOSE I CANNOT TRULY BECOME CLEAN.

LIKE BLACK FOOTPRINTS CARVED UPON WHITE SNOW,

THE STAINED TRACES WILL REMAIN WITH ME.

UNTIL THIS PURE WHITE SNOW COVERS THOSE TRACES AWAY.